Giants’ bid for Bryce Harper gets complicated

1of3FILE - In this Saturday, July 4, 2015 file photo, Washington Nationals right fielder Bryce Harper (34) pauses in the dugout before a baseball game against the San Francisco Giants at Nationals Park in Washington. Bryce Harper has become the youngest unanimous MVP winner in baseball history, capturing the NL award during a season in which his Washington Nationals missed the playoffs. Harper got all 30 first-place votes from members of the Baseball Writers' Association of America in results announced Thursday, Nov. 19, 2015. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File)Photo: Alex Brandon / Associated Press 2015

2of3The Dodgers’ Manny Machado reacts after his three-run, seventh-inning home run in Game 4 of the NLDS against the Braves.Photo: Hyosub Shin / TNS

The news Friday was that Yankees shortstop Didi Gregorius will undergo Tommy John surgery, and in a roundabout way, that could be a detriment to the Giants’ pursuit of Bryce Harper.

The Giants will have at least two new outfielders next season, if the new head of baseball operations has his/her way, and it’s anyone’s guess if the new boss would prefer to pay an enormous price for Harper rather than use that money to fill all of the other roster holes.

Ownership will have the final say, obviously, and this is a team whose history is superstar-driven, so if Larry Baer and Co. believe Harper would be the right acquisition — anyone really think these owners don’t want this guy to make AT&T Park as appealing as it once was? — then the pursuit for the right fielder will be all out.

Friday, the competition kicked up considerably. The Gregorius absence will increase the Yankees’ interest in infielder Manny Machado, who’s trying to lead the Dodgers to their first championship since 1988. If the Yankees win the Machado sweepstakes, the Dodgers could pivot to Harper and make a far better case than the Giants, who are years away from doing what the Dodgers are doing.

That would leave the Giants no choice but to reconstruct themselves without the immediate impact of Harper, who at the very least could use the Giants to accelerate the bidding war. Machado isn’t necessarily a fit in San Francisco considering the Giants have shortstop Brandon Crawford, who has a no-trade clause, and third baseman Evan Longoria, who’s signed through 2022.

Machado at second base? He wouldn’t agree to that. For now, he’s hinting he’d move off shortstop to third base only with the right team. The Yankees had pictured him at third, alongside Gregorius, even though third baseman Miguel Andujar had a strong rookie season.

The best internal replacement for Gregorius is second baseman Gleyber Torres, who had Tommy John surgery himself in June 2017. Whenever Gregorius returns next summer, he’ll be playing out his contract. He can be a free agent after the 2019 season, so Machado would be a longer-term fix if no extension for Gregorius is worked out.

The Dodgers strategically stayed under the luxury tax to make themselves potentially bigger spenders in 2019, and it’s a decent bet they’ll land one of the top two free agents. If Machado becomes a Yankee, the domino effect could land Harper in Los Angeles and force the Giants back to the drawing board.

•It was only a matter of time before the Giants made Kim Ng an official candidate to take over baseball operations, and Chris Haft of MLB.com reported Thursday an interview was coming. Ng would fit into Baer’s vision of his so-called “Next Gen” leader who’d rely on both scouting and analytics to bring this team back to life. Ng, 49, has worked in front offices of the White Sox, Yankees and Dodgers and currently works in the commissioner’s office. She has interviewed for several GM jobs and deserves a chance to run a team not because she’s a woman but because she’s qualified, open to change as an undisputed trailblazer and has the skill set and leadership qualities that the position requires.

•Every year at this time, we hear criticisms of postseason managers who bungled their bullpen decisions. They either waited too long with a starter, didn’t wait long enough, went to the wrong reliever or totally whiffed on using a key reliever. This year’s target is Aaron Boone, who managed just fine in the Yankees’ wild-card victory over the A’s but mismanaged his way through the Division Series against Boston. Mostly, it was about Luis Severino, who pitched four scoreless innings against the A’s but was hammered by the Red Sox for six runs, and Boone let Game 3 get away by not pulling Severino before a seven-run rally in the fourth, later saying, “I probably got a little greedy thinking he could get through the bottom of the order there.”

•The A’s might want to pursue CC Sabathia, who’ll be a free agent after a decade in the Bronx. That is, if he’s relatively inexpensive and healthy. On Friday, the big-bodied lefty underwent what’s considered a minor knee surgery, but he still was effective at 38, making 29 starts and posting a 3.65 ERA with 140 strikeouts in 153 innings. By no means has the Vallejo native forgotten his roots. He remains a significant factor in his community through his PitCCh In Foundation, and the A’s could use not only his talent but leadership and box office appeal.

•Speaking of a Yankee joining the A’s rotation, how about a return of Sonny Gray? Before dismissing the idea, consider Gray was awful only at Yankee Stadium. On the road, he had a 3.17 ERA, a sign that he’s no fit for the Bronx Zoo (ERA: 6.98), but he remained effective elsewhere. The A’s had no interest in Gray at the July 31 trade deadline when they were desperate for rotation help, but he and manager Bob Melvin have a close relationship, and we hear Gray misses the A’s. Brian Cashman said Friday he wants to trade Gray, but would the Yankees’ GM deal him to the A’s after giving them so much at the 2017 deadline for Gray — Dustin Fowler, Jorge Mateo and James Kaprielian? We would say yes, if it’s for a decent prospect.

•Brewers outfielder Christian Yelich said seven-time MVP Barry Bonds, his old hitting coach with the Marlins, has been a big help. Yelich likely will win the MVP award after smacking 36 homers, leading the league in hitting and slugging percentage and posting an on-base percentage above .400. “If he does get (the MVP) — and I say if, so don’t write I said when — six more to go, brother,” Bonds told the Los Angeles Times. “I’m rooting for him.” Bonds said the same to Yelich, who’s 26, which was Bonds’ age when he won his first MVP. No pressure, kid.

John Shea is the San Francisco Chronicle's national baseball writer and columnist. He is in his 33rd year covering baseball, including 28 in the Bay Area. He wrote three baseball books, including Rickey Henderson's biography ("Confessions of a Thief") and "Magic by the Bay," an account of the 1989 World Series.